Piano #1
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
Formica and wood
Dimensions
overall: 50.8 x 17.7 x 2.8 cm (20 x 6 15/16 x 1 1/8 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CMC
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, Patrons' Permanent Fund and Gift of Dorothy and Herbert Vogel
Accession Number
1991.241.10
Art Historical Context
Richard Artschwager's *Piano #1* (1965) is a compact sculpture measuring just 20 x 6 15/16 x 1 1/8 inches, crafted from Formica laminate on a wood base. This wall-mounted piece playfully reimagines a piano keyboard—or perhaps the instrument itself—in a flattened, tabletop-like form, inviting viewers to question the boundaries between everyday objects and fine art. Displayed in the National Gallery of Art's CMC department, it comes from the esteemed Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection, reflecting the couple's passion for bold postwar American art. Created amid the vibrant New York art scene o...
About the Artist
Richard Artschwager
Richard Artschwager (1923–2013) was a singular American artist whose sculptures, paintings, and installations blurred the lines between everyday objects and high art, evoking associations with Pop Art, Minimalism, and Conceptualism. Born in Washington, D.C., to a Prussian botanist father and a Ukrainian-Jewish mother who instilled in him a love of art through her own studies at the Corcoran School...